Acidophilus

[Stefani]

I got to talking with someone who I know at dog school.  She has raised sheppies for awhile, and when we got to talking about Roxie, she wondered if I'd ever put her on acidophilus.  She mentioned it would help with gas, help to prevent bloat, and it would help in other ways (more than I remember).  Has anyone put their dog on this? 

[Ilghaus]

All three of my Shepherds are on probiotics of which acidophilus is one type. I have quite a bit of info and will pass some on as soon as I can. I have to leave the house in a few minutes but I'll try to post some later this evening.

[Ilghaus]

In most cases supplements will not be needed for your canine to keep everything going smoothly with his intestines. But for those dogs with digestive problems supplements may be needed.

One such supplement might be a good probiotic.

Helpful also is an all natural multi-vitamin.

Probiotics are the good or friendly bacteria that are located in the intestines. They produce acids which lower the pH in the intestine, thereby inhibiting growth of undesirable bacteria and neutralize the enzymes that convert precarcinogens into carcinogens.

Below are three ot the different types of probiotics.

Acidophilous
(a-si-DAH-fil-us)
Taking Acidophilous in one of several forms helps repopulate the intestinal tract with lactobacillus acidophilus, which is one of the most abundant and beneficial forms of friendly bacteria in the intestines while preventing an overgrowth of fungus.

Bifidus
A "lactic acid" bacteria. Bifidus aids the synthesis of the B vitamins.

Bulgaricus
Aid is breaking down proteins for easy digestion and absorption.

Antibiotics tend to destroy all bacteria in the body, the good along with the bad. After a treatment of antibiotics it is a good idea to start taking some probiotics to insure that there are enough probiotics for good health.

[Stefani]

After a treatment of antibiotics it is a good idea to start taking some probiotics to insure that there are enough probiotics for good health.

So they shouldn't take it all the time?

[Ilghaus]

Shepherds are known for digestive problems. In the perfect world if your dog has an excellent digestive system and is on a wonderful diet then he should not NEED anything extra. But, if your dog tends to have problems, is undergoing any additional stress, or is taking medication that can throw a curve into his digestion then probiotics is often recommended.

I have one dog with EPI who I found does better on a constant supply of probiotics. The other two are half brothers to my EPI dog and are at risk also of someday developing the same.

I myself have no concern over giving probiotics to any of my dogs but I am careful not to go overboard on them.

Acidophilous is found in yogurt. The amount from this source is very low and can be considered if you want to give as a maintainance source. Yogurt is often times recommended to people after taking antibiotics as a precaution. If you give your dog yogurt make sure it is plain no sugar. If your dog can not take dairy you can try Kefir.

For a better source (if needed for medical problems) then I would recommend going to a health food store or somewhere they sell probiotics fresh -- many times kept refrigerated.

[Ilghaus]

Some additional info on Kefir:

Kefir is made by kefir grains and it is different than yogurt in that it has more lactic acid, lactose and casein digesting bacterias. It also contains yeasts and acetic acid bacterias (amino acids and peptides) and enzymes.

Kefir is better than yogurt for those who are lactose intolerant or suffer from casein allergy and therefore unable to drink milk or eat milk products even though both start off being cultured in milk.

The bacteria of kefir, which includes more types than just those found in yogurt-- acidophilus and bifidus, will continue to live in (colonize) the intestines whereas yogurt will need to be taken in on a more regular basis.

The lactose/carb content is lower in kefir than in yogurt. In fact the longer the kefir ferments and eats the lactose the lower the carb content becomes.

[Stefani]

Acidophilous is found in yogurt.

Yeah, she also recomended yogurt.  Roxie gets diaherra if I give her certain treats, and the treats I want to give her, which give her the bad stools, are much cheaper than the ones that don't (I buy a treat log, cut them in pieces and freeze them, then unfreeze the ones I need).  I was feeding her bran cereal, recoemended by the vets office, to help firm her stools, but that didn't work, as well as she didn't like the bran, and refused to eat the meal most of the time (so I stopped putting bran in it).  I guess I was also looking for something to possibly help prevent bloat (I'm terrified of that ever happening) by reducing the gas in her system.  The vet recomended one over the counter pill, but they said it shouldn't be given on a daily basis.

We also got to talking about one suppliment that would help Roxie digest her food better, so that she might not need as much food than she eats, because she is absorbing more nutrients from it.  I don't remember what that one was called thuogh. 

[Ilghaus]

We also got to talking about one suppliment that would help Roxie digest her food better, so that she might not need as much food than she eats, because she is absorbing more nutrients from it.  I don't remember what that one was called thuogh. 

I'm going to start another thread on what I think you are talking about. I also use Prozyme.